When I read the assignment for this week’s blog post, it occurred to me that it is a very
difficult challenge to ensure that all of the students at my school, let alone my district, are experiencing high-quality science instruction. I have over 100 students with a wide variety
of background knowledge, motivation, and abilities that I work very hard to teach every day. Providing hands-on, inquiry-based science lessons is something that I strive for; however, not all
science teachers share the same goal.
An example of this discrepancy is the science department at my son’s middle school. His science teacher is animated, passionate about the subject, and is constantly having the students participate in labs, experiments, and investigations. His friend is in a different science class; this teacher has done one (yes, one) experiment all year and teaches completely out of the textbook. Read, answer questions, take a test,repeat. Her students are bored out of their minds and are learning to dislike science. This is such a travesty to me since science lends itself to fun and exciting activities, more than any other subject (in my humble opinion).
In addition to the variation in teacher achievement, the district itself can present obstacles to
quality science instruction. We are due for a new textbook adoption; in fact, I was part of the team of teachers who piloted three different programs several years ago in anticipation of adopting a new curriculum. Unfortunately, because of the budget cuts, we have not been able to follow through with getting new textbooks and materials. At this point, our hands are tied simply because of monetary concerns, and we continue to use the outdated curriculum.
I try to overcome these obstacles by supplementing the curriculum with up-to-date information that I find online or through collaboration with my colleagues. I also try to use STEM-based lessons and encourage my students to explore STEM careers. Hopefully, once they get into high
school they will have a solid foundation in science, as well as a passion for active learning.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Keeping Up with Global Competition
“I hope Americans see China's rise as the 21st-century equivalent of Russia launching the Sputnik
satellite -- a challenge to which we responded with a huge national effort that revived our
education, infrastructure and science and propelled us for 50 years” (Friedman, 2010, p. WK8). After reading this article, I did some research into Sputnik and how it inspired the United States and sparked a nation-wide interest in science and technology.
One fact that I found interesting was that the satellite was very small – only about the size of a
beach ball (NASA, 2007). Sputnik was small, yes, but also amazingly powerful! According to NASA (2007), “That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific
developments. While the Sputnik launch was a single event, it marked the start
of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race.” About a month after that launch, the Russians
launched a second satellite, this one bigger and carrying a dog. The United States quickly realized that it was time to step up its efforts and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration was created, all in response to the launch of the Russian satellite.
Friedman (2010) compares China and terrorism to the Sputnik as far as spurring the American public to action. I also think that controversial issues –cloning, stem cell research, global warming, etc. – can have the same effect on people. Polarizing of people’s beliefs does have one positive consequence in that it makes people think and it creates interest and awareness. Instead of worrying about China, I think that we need to invest our time and energy into promoting STEM from a very early age. If we can get our students EXCITED about science, technology, engineering, and math, then the upcoming generations won’t need to have a Sputnik-type event to prompt more outrage and action – they will already be invested in the importance of STEM to the future of our country.
What does this mean for us, as educators? It means we need to stop focusing on the textbook and rote assessments. Our students can access information at the touch of a button – they don’t need to memorize random facts and then regurgitate them on some test. What we need to teach our students is how to THINK!! Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are crucial in order to develop the STEM scientists and thinkers of the future. Let’s do more hands-on activities, more investigations, more group projects. Then this issue of trying to drum up interest
in science will become a non-issue!
References:
Friedman, T. L. (2010, January 17). What’s our Sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)], p.WK.8.
Garber, S. (2007, October 10). Sputnik and the dawn of the space age. Retrieved January 14, 2012, from National Aeronautics and Space Administration website: http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/
satellite -- a challenge to which we responded with a huge national effort that revived our
education, infrastructure and science and propelled us for 50 years” (Friedman, 2010, p. WK8). After reading this article, I did some research into Sputnik and how it inspired the United States and sparked a nation-wide interest in science and technology.
One fact that I found interesting was that the satellite was very small – only about the size of a
beach ball (NASA, 2007). Sputnik was small, yes, but also amazingly powerful! According to NASA (2007), “That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific
developments. While the Sputnik launch was a single event, it marked the start
of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race.” About a month after that launch, the Russians
launched a second satellite, this one bigger and carrying a dog. The United States quickly realized that it was time to step up its efforts and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration was created, all in response to the launch of the Russian satellite.
Friedman (2010) compares China and terrorism to the Sputnik as far as spurring the American public to action. I also think that controversial issues –cloning, stem cell research, global warming, etc. – can have the same effect on people. Polarizing of people’s beliefs does have one positive consequence in that it makes people think and it creates interest and awareness. Instead of worrying about China, I think that we need to invest our time and energy into promoting STEM from a very early age. If we can get our students EXCITED about science, technology, engineering, and math, then the upcoming generations won’t need to have a Sputnik-type event to prompt more outrage and action – they will already be invested in the importance of STEM to the future of our country.
What does this mean for us, as educators? It means we need to stop focusing on the textbook and rote assessments. Our students can access information at the touch of a button – they don’t need to memorize random facts and then regurgitate them on some test. What we need to teach our students is how to THINK!! Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are crucial in order to develop the STEM scientists and thinkers of the future. Let’s do more hands-on activities, more investigations, more group projects. Then this issue of trying to drum up interest
in science will become a non-issue!
References:
Friedman, T. L. (2010, January 17). What’s our Sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)], p.WK.8.
Garber, S. (2007, October 10). Sputnik and the dawn of the space age. Retrieved January 14, 2012, from National Aeronautics and Space Administration website: http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/
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